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Kenmei Hashimoto
Kenmei Hashimoto (賢明橋本, Hashimoto Kenmei) is the captain of the 12th Division and newly appointed President of the Shinigami Research Institute. He currently has no lieutenant assigned to his division, taking on the responsibilities of both roles. Considered the smartest man within Soul Society, Kenmei uses his great intellect to create fantastic inventions, while also providing valuable information on their inner workings. He is one of two captains currently serving in the Gotei 13 that is married, as well as a father. He currently resides in the Bleach: War of Souls universe. Appearance Kenmei has always been regarded as a simple man with plain features. He appears as an mild mannered captain of average build and height, with brown scholarly hair swept to one side, brown eyes and rectangular shaped glasses. He wears the standard Shinigami uniform with a long sleeved captain's haori and carries his sword tucked into his sash on his side. His general appearance is that of a scholar more so than a warrior, and usually presents himself as such in manners and attire. Kenmei carries a wedding ring with him at all times, as well as a bead bracelet around his left wrist made by his daughter, as symbols of courage and strength in battle. Personality Described as a gentle man, Kenmei is known for his sunny disposition and perpetual smile. He's kindhearted and polite to those around him, even lower ranking individuals. He's known to be really good at telling bad jokes, often forgetting in mid sentence the ending of them, and laughing at them before realizing his error. In direct contrast with most of his fellow captains, Kenmei sometimes appears flustered and nervous in dealing with social situations, such as settling personal disputes between individuals, and has admitted to an inability to offer good advice in those moments. He's also known to speak mainly in scientific terms in regular conversation, often leaving people confused at what he's trying to say and tends to ramble on without realizing it. Regardless of that, he's considered the smartest man in all of Soul Society, with an intellect unparalleled by any other. Like Hikaru, he's also a devoted husband and father of a young daughter, whom he both loves very much. Any free time he has, he spends with his family and often enjoys taking walks with them in the market area. His wife is the only person he knows who laughs at his jokes, regardless if they're funny or not, and enjoys teaching his daughter about science, who is showing remarkable aptitude in understanding it. His love for them is so great that he temporarily retired to be with them, and only reinlisted at the behest of his wife. Although he appears as a humble man, underneath that exterior beats the heart of a true warrior and Shinigami. Considering his role within the Gotei 13, he often remains off the battlefield, only entering when a strange occurrence or device becomes present that require his expertise. Because of this, his time on the field is limited, which saddens him as he would like to shed the stigma of being just a brain and not an experienced combatant. Kenmei is a man who cares deeply for the safety of the people around him, stepping in harm's way without hesitation if it meant protecting them. History Before his promotion to captain, Kenmei served as the lieutenant of the 12th Division, as well as Vice President of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute after he had recently been rebuilt. It was during this time that he met his future wife, who worked with him at the institute. After years of working together, the fell in love and eventually were married. When he recieved the news of her pregnancy, Kenmei decided to retire so that he could focus his attention on raising his family and was given an honorable discharge for his service. Though free to be with his loved ones, Kenmei's wife could see a sadness in leaving his duties, even as he kept it hidden under smiles. After a lengthy discussion, his wife persuaded him to reinlist, and asked the head captain directly if he could return to the 12th Division as a lieutenant. He was surprised to find that, not only was he reinlisted, but he was promoted to rank of Captain and President of the SRDI. Now a captain, his roles and responsibilities have grown, considering their is currently no lieutenant serving under him. But regardless of all the tasks he's assigned, he still finds the time to see his family and make sure that he remains a presence in their lives. Plot *Warnings On The Way Powers and Abilities Genius Intellect: Kenmei's greatest weapon will always be his great mind, and has proven himself to be the most intelligent Shinigami within Soul Society. He has shown to be able to perfectly replicate past inventions, even without blueprints, and just the basic understanding of their function. This allows him to perfectly recreate any piece of equipment by reverse engineering the original. Much of his intellect results in scientific invention to deduction of situations and combative skills and tactics. His intellect also allows him to think things well in advance, and make decisive and accurate decisions quickly on and off the battlefield. He regularly speaks in scientific terms, even in casual conversation, which can often be quite boring to listen to or simply frustrating when trying to understand him. Despite that unpleasant side effect to his enormous intellect, Kenmei is still respected as the most knowledgeable individual in all of the society and is never questioned when he presents his findings. *'Master Inventor: '''Due to the deaths of the previous presidents of the SRDI, Kenmei had to dedicate a great deal of his time at the institute to reinventing past creations through a series of trial and error. Even when these creations proved highly complex, Kenmei showed an innate ability in comprehension that he subconciously skip steps to arrive at the end result quicker. This means that his natural thought process automatically discerns certain things, combing several steps into one simultaneously and then proceeding to the next part. Thankfully, he was able to recreate the Gigai so that the Shinigami could continue their work in monitoring the Human World while remaining undetected. He was also the inventor of Kenzō's power sealing tattoo ink to help him regulate his enormous spiritual pressure. Kenmei always seem to tinkering with his next invention and is currently devising several automated defense systems to make up for the lesser number of available soldiers that patrol the outer areas of Soul Society. *'Master Strategist & Tactician:' His genius intellect also extends to strategic and tactical thinking. This is a result of him being able to calculate various scenarios simultaneously, as well what happens when independent variables are entered into an equation. He can quickly adjust to what happens in front of him, calmly and collectively, in a similar fashion to 4th Divsion Captaion, Gennai Hiraga. Even in situations where stress is building, Kenmei is able to produce a plan to reach his intended result, though he admits it taking him several seconds longer than he normally would if clear headed. '''Zanjustu Master:' Although he appears as a mild mannered scholar, Kenmei is well versed in the art of swordplay. Like all captains of the Gotei 13, his skills have been honed to that of an master level. He does admit that this form of combat is not his strongest, relying much more on his experience in Kidō and the powers of his Zanpakutō. Regardless, he can easily defeat any Shinigami of lower rank, and clash swords against captain level opponents and hold his own just as effectively. Because of his annalytical thinking, Kenmei can calculate various scenarios and attack patterns simultaneously in his head, allowing him to fight with great precision and deadly accuracy. When he does engage in direct combat, Kenmei prefers to fight in a two-handed stance and his techniques for being strong and swift, preferring to use more traditional techniques instead of flashy or more unorthodox ones. Kidō Master: '''Kenmei's preferred method of combat as always been Kidō and he shows such skill in casting it that he's ranked of one Soul Society's most gifted practioners, easily rivaling that of any other master level user. To him, Kidō is all about understanding and focus, something he's all too familiar with, and applies his mind into crafting exceptionally powerful spells delivered with tremendous strength and effect. Even during his time at the Academy, Kenmei showed great promise, putting him at the top of every class he attended, and his ability placing him at the level of higher ranking individuals within the Gotei 13. Not only can he cast strong spells, but he's able to execute them quickly and with precision, even in the middle of battle. '''Hohō Expert: Though his position and responsibilities keep him from engaging in battles as much as the other captains, Kenmei still has enough skill in Flash Steps to be on par with his fellow captains. Its not witnessed very often, but he's proven to be quick and nimble, able to effectively dodge and parry his opponent's attacks while remaining unharmed. He can keep up with the other captains if they were to give chase or need to be at specific location. Great Spiritual Pressure: While he may not possess the most intimidating Reiatsu as some of the others captains, he shows amazing control in venting it and utilizing it to fuel his spells. As a captain, Kenmei boasts a great amount of spiritual pressure, releasing it as transparent waves of force over long distances. Its also proved strong enough to cause partial paralysis when venting it in the presence of his subordinates. When producing it with a visible effect, it appears as a white aura coming off like vapor. Zanpakutō Hanryoku (反力, Counter Force): Kenmei's Zanpakutō takes the form of a regular katana with a yellow wrapped handle, and a silver hourglass shaped crossguard with a diamond engraved on each end. The blade is held inside a metallic gold scabbard to match the wrapping around the handle. *'Shikai:' It's release command is "Turn back the clock" (もどるとけい, Modoru tokei) When released, Hanryoku begins to flex and bend as it morphs into its new form. The crossguard disappears and instead a hollow hole appears, becoming a large ring, similar to a chakram, that connects the handle and blade. The blade becomes straight and double edged, similar to a broad sword but not as long. Instead, the blade remains at a medium length not much different then its original form. Hanryoku's handle remains unchanged as it is when sealed. : Shikai Special Ability: Kenmei's Zanpakutō is quite a mystery to most as its special abilities have not been completely disclosed. Also, Kenmei's explanation of how his Zanpakutō works is just as confusing because of how he describes it using only scientific terms without further clarification. What can be determined is that Hanryoku revolves around the ability to manipulate a limited amount of time and space, both in relation to himself and to his immediate surroundings. It is unknown how this process works but Kenmei typically holds his Zanpakutō by letting the inner ring rest on his finger while the weapon moves from side to side similar to a pendulum. But he can still initiate any of its effect through mere mental command as opposed to any sort of physical gesture. While Hanryoku relates to Newton's third law of motion of classical mechanics stating that forces always occur in pairs, it is only partly what his Zanpakutō's abilities can do. Force results from the interaction of two objects: every force on one object (action) is accompanied by a reaction on another, of equal magnitude but opposite direction. Hanryoku takes this principle but further expands on it, resulting in something that can loosely be interpreted as warping physics. In this case, force is designated as an action or effect of Kenmei's choosing, be it his own or one from an opposing individual, while Hanryoku produces the reaction that counters that chosen force to either cancel it or reverse its effect. In reality, Hanryoku has the ability to designate objects or actions as a force, and then immediately produce a counter force or reaction by accessing a timeline in which that particular effect existed. The possibilities of Hanryoku are nearly limitless as it can be applied to nearly anything Kenmei wishes. This ability is limited by two things: 1) Kenmei must understand the intended effect for him to produce the proper counter force. Meaning if its an ability or spell, Kenmei must know the results it is supposed to produce. This requires him to sometimes need to see an ability firsthand and allow it to take effect for him to counteract it. Though if his opponent were to explain the ability before unleashing it, Kenmei can use that to his advantage. 2) All of Hanryoku's abilities require fuel to use, with the greater the effect to counter, the more energy used. This is signaled by the ring at the base of the blade. As the blade remains unsealed, the ring will slowly begin to glow, filling with yellow energy until the inner ring is completely illuminated. This energy is the indicator of how much energy Hanryoku has at its disposal and the more reactions it needs to produce will cause the energy to be depleted, requiring another charge period to use its abilities again. :* Kyōkasuru (強化する, Reinforce) An ability that proves useful when facing against an opponent whose physical capabilities exceeds his own. When an opponent attacks him, Kenmei can choose to increase his speed and ability to remove himself from harm's way, thus producing the opposite effect of being in danger. Another use for this ability is for Kenmei to increase his own strength to meet the attack head on with an equal force, therefore cancelling the power of the attack. This effect takes place immediately, meaning he can use it in the middle of battle without fear. The only risk to this ability is that increasing his own physical attributes beyond his own limitations can produce strain on his muscles and joints, producing more fatigue. While in theory he can match any opponent in physical combat, he can only do so for as long as the energy in the ring of Hanryoku is present and with each successful counter or increase drains that energy further. If he were to meet an opponent who's strength and speed far exceeds his own, the increase to counter that difference would be so great that Kenmei could only be able to match it once or twice before collapsing from exhaustion. :* Utsusu (写す, Reflect) With this ability, Kenmei has designated an incoming projectile or energy attack as the force. Kenmei will then spin his blade by the ring, creating a circular pattern in front of him to intercept the attack. Once the projectile makes contact with the blade, it will immediately be redirected back towards his opponent with the same strength and speed. This ability is the reaction and it is not unlike Jūshirō Ukitake's Sōgyo no Kotowari, though it doesn't effect its speed and timing. Depending on the strength of the original force, Hanryoku will use the appropriate amount of energy to fuel this ability. There are some instances, though rare, that Kenmei is unable to reflect an attack back unto his target and faces the fear of being hit head on by the attack. This effect is produced by accessing a timeline in which the original attack was released from a different point of origin, thus allowing him to erase the original and replace it with the new attack. :* Hikikaesu (引き返す, Repeat) A particularly nasty ability that proves Hanryoku is a powerful Zanpakutō in its own right. Kenmei moves in to strike an opponent, and if he misses his target, he will designate the missed attack as the force. With that, the appropriate counter would be a success, meaning the missed attack will now inflict the damage it was meant to on his target's body. For example, if the attack were a diagonal slash, the wound it would produce will now appear on the opponent where the attack was targeting. This allows Kenmei another opportunity to ensure the damage is inflicted on his intended target. This also applies to the spells he casts, such as destructive spells missing but then exploding around his target after a delay. Small amounts of damage can be done more frequently, though greater damaging abilities would require considerable amount of energy and time to unleash. Also, this ability only recreates the effect of the last attack made, and is unable to reproduce any of its previous ones if a new attack is made. :* Modosu (戻す, Revert) Hanryoku even has the ability to revert damage done by completely erasing their presence, as if the damage had never existed. By designating a wound or poison as the force, the appropriate counter force would be healing those ailments. As such, gashes can be healed, broken bones mended, blood loss restored, poisons cured, or any other negative effect treated under Hanryoku's power. The extent of the damage is the determining factor of how much energy is required to heal. It can be directed on himself or another, even extending over multiple individuals, though this would require more energy with the possibility of only healing a large group slightly since its power is being extended so far. Kenmei also applies this to erasing wounds inflicted during battle, and just like Hikikaesu, it can erase the last wound inflicted onto him. It was once joked by others that Hanryoku could have the power to raise the dead if it designated death as the force, to which Kenmei responded with a curious expression that, in theory, anything was possible. :* Saikōchikusuru '(再構築する, ''Restructure) When presented with a barrier or structure that he cannot overcome through other means, Kenmei can designate that as the force that he must counter. As such, by invoking this ability, Kenmei can dispell the barrier or destroy the structure by accessing a timeline in which these obstacles did not exist. Even layered barriers prove no match for Hanryoku's ability to tear them down. Granted the strength of the barrier plays a factor in Hanryoku's effectiveness. Repeated use, as with any of its other abilities, will eventually drain Hanryoku. Fortunately, even against powerful barriers, Kenmei can still use this ability to temporarily weaken it, allowing either Kenmei to try a different approach or allow one of his comrades an opportunity to destroy the barrier through their own power. This ability seems to be very powerful as he can quickly cause a barrier to disperse and Kenmei can use the new opening to attack his targets head on. '''Bankai: Tōketsufuriko Hanryoku (凍結振り子反力, Frozen Pendulum Counter Force) Before activating his Bankai, Kenmei takes Hanryoku and throws it high into the air until it disappears into the sky, leaving him completely unharmed. When he states Bankai, the skies with burst into blinding light before a large structure strikes the ground directly behind Kenmei, releasing a wave of force and blowing up debris into the air. Once the cloud clears, Kenmei's Bankai is revealed. Tōketsufuriko Hanryoku takes on the form of a massive blue crystal pillar several stories tall, similar to the size of a building. At the top, there appears to be a large bronze mechanism, exposing several cogs and wheels, while a central large blue jewel sits atop it all. Around the jewel is a thick metallic ring divided into dozens of equally spaced sections with a small triangular piece resting at the first space directly next to the top most space. When its become firmly planted, the cogs will begin to move, turning within the enormous machine. The front of the crystal structure will slowly become transparent, revealing a large bronze pendulum fixed directly in the center. *'Bankai Special Ability: '''When life is breathed into Kenmei's Bankai, its as if the machine is awakened with the cogs and gears beginning to turn. The pendulum will begin to swing, slowly and steadily, with the triangular piece protruding from the jewel clicking into the section. Kenmei has stated that it takes five minutes for the triangular piece to make a full circle around the ring and once it reaches the last space, it will instantly deactivate his Bankai and revert it back to its sealed form. When the pendulum first begins to swing, it releases an unknown energy, creating a large dome that completely envelops himself and any within the wide range. From the outside, it appears as if everything within the dome has become frozen in time, with the outer wall rippling like water. Its also noted that the barrier is completely impregnable, with occupants within and outside to bypass it without Kenmei consciously choosing to deactivate it or the timer running out. Within the dome, all time and its effects have been completely halted. But instead of the occupants within it being frozen as well, they remain able to move and use their abilities freely within the dome. What has become frozen are their own bodily functions such as blood flow and heartbeat. Of course, as it can be witnessed, all occupants suffer no ill effect from such a phenomena. Instead, they are effectively made immortal within the dome so long as the Bankai remains. They cannot die, feel pain, or experience blood loss, even if they were to be slashed or impaled. The only direct way to kill someone within the Bankai is to either decapitate them or stab them in the heart. Kenmei's Bankai can also halt the progression of poisions. While this effect can be addictive due to the feeling of invincibility, there is another effect automatically triggered when the Bankai is deactivated. When the dome disperses, all injuries sustained and the pain felt will rush onto the effected individuals in one sweeping wave that can often kill the individual due to the sensory overload. When objects are destroyed, the explosions will send debris into the air but will remain frozen, creating a surreal landscape of floating destruction that remains motionless around the combatants. **'Temporal Manipulation: Tōketsufuriko Hanryoku's true comes with the ability to manipulate all possible timelines within the dome and use that to produce certain phenomena that would otherwise be impossible. First and foremost, this ability comes with a huge danger, which is that any participants within the dome can manipulate timelines and is not limited to only Kenmei. As such, individuals with extensive knowledge of how time works would be able to exploit this ability just as well as Kenmei. When inside the dome, each participant can move freely, execute their abilities and react as they normally would, even though they've been made temporarily immortal within it. But now, each individual can also perform certain abilities so long as they know how time works and the possibilities it brings. By interpreting different timelines, a person can change their location instantly without the use of Flash Steps, recreating a form of teleportation. Also, manipulating the temporal energies within the dome can be used to recreate attacks and abilities from different origin points, such as launching a destructive spell from above a target even without the person being present above them. Instead, the attack will appear coming from thin air, increasing the changes of catching his opponent off guard and hitting them with it. Each combatant can only produce attacks that they are capable of. **'''Temporal Clones: Through proper training and understanding of how timelines work, Kenmei can produce exact clones of himself, pulled strategically from different points in time to attack his opponent. Since the new clones are coming from a short distance in the future, it will appear and attack his opponent or defend from an incoming attack to provide either the original or copy to retaliate. This effect can be quite confusing to understand as its mere description is a form of paradox where if the future clones interact with the original. But Kenmei has stated that these clones are merely solid projections of possible future versions of himself and will fade away after a short while. Normally the length of time only allows for a single action. While Kenmei is more adept at using this aspect of his Bankai, any individual within the dome has this ability at their disposal and is merely limited by their knowledge and understanding. **'Temporal Backlash:' With absolute control over time and space within his Bankai, Kenmei has stated that it all comes with a great price. Since such manipulations are effectively rewriting the laws of physics, any who use these powers beyond a certain point will risk creating ripples which the Bankai must correct by smoothing them out and directing the damage to the individuals who've used its powers. This means that any who tamper with the Bankai's powers excessively will face the possibility of being erased from the timeline in order to preserve the current one all individuals exist in. While Kenmei is the wielder, he is not above its influence. He is equally at risk just as the others, therefore he uses its powers more sparingly, in order to not cause too much devastation to the timeline. The dome acts as a means of controlling the damage, keeping it within its confines and correcting itself once its been deactivated. All damage done within the dome will now be reflected back onto the current timeline, bringing the debris crashing back down towards the ground. It is known that if individuals within the Bankai use the abilities so excessively it can cause the crystal structure to begin cracking from the strain and eventually explode in a blinding light, destroying the dome in the process, leaving the fate of the individuals within it unknown. Category:Male Category:Shinigami Category:Gotei 13 Category:12th Division Category:Shinigami Captain Category:Master Scientist Category:Zanjutsu Master Category:Shunpo Expert Category:Kido Master